Home Office

Immigration Detention

Lord Bates: My rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Theresa May) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:I have today commissioned an independent review into the Home Office policies and operating procedures that have an impact on immigration detainee welfare. Immigration detention plays a key role in helping to secure our borders and in maintaining effective immigration control.The Government believes that those with no right to be in the UK should return to their home country and we will help those who wish to leave voluntarily. However, when people refuse to do so, we will seek to enforce their removal, which may involve detaining people for a period of time. But the wellbeing of those in our care is always a high priority and we are committed to treating all detainees with dignity and respect.I want to ensure that the health and wellbeing of all those detained is safeguarded. Following the work I commissioned into the welfare of people with mental health difficulties in police custody, I believe it is necessary to undertake a comprehensive review of our policies and operating procedures to better understand the impact of detention on the welfare of those in immigration detention. The purpose of this wider-ranging review is to consider the appropriateness, and application, of current policies and practices concerning the health and wellbeing of vulnerable people in immigration detention, and those being escorted in the UK. I am committed to considering any emerging findings made by the review and to taking action where appropriate.I have asked Stephen Shaw CBE, the former Prisons and Probation Ombudsman for England and Wales, and a widely respected expert in this field, to lead the review. The terms of reference can be found on the Home Office website and copies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.


This statement has also been made in the House of Commons: 
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National Crime Agency

Lord Bates: My rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Theresa May) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:The Crime and Courts Act 2013 (National Crime Agency and Proceeds of Crime) (Northern Ireland) Order 2015, was laid before Parliament on 29 January 2015. The Order extends relevant ‘NCA provisions’, ‘relevant civil recovery provisions’ and ‘relevant investigation provisions’ to enable the National Crime Agency to operate in Northern Ireland with full operational powers, including the ability to recover criminal assets, including the ability to request the recovery of assets overseas. The Order reflects a package of proposals that will create clear, transparent and significant local accountability that the Northern Ireland political parties have sought. They are the result of extensive work between the Home Office, the Department of Justice for Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Office, the National Crime Agency and the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Following negotiations, led by the Northern Ireland Justice Minister, I am extremely pleased to inform the House that on 3 February 2015, the Northern Ireland Assembly gave its consent to the making of that Order.The Order reflects a package of measures to ensure police primacy, accountability and additional oversight of the NCA’s use of covert techniques in Northern Ireland. The consent given by the Assembly reflects their support to the Government’s aim that the people of Northern Ireland should benefit from a fully operational National Crime Agency, supporting the efforts of PSNI. I would like to put on record my thanks to Assembly members for their support.


This statement has also been made in the House of Commons: 
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Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council: 29 January

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: My Right Honourable Friend the Minister for Europe (Mr David Lidington) has made the following written Ministerial statement:I attended the Extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) on 29 January in Brussels. The FAC was chaired by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HRVP), Federica Mogherini.The Conclusions adopted can be found at:http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2015/01/council-conclusions-ukraine/The HRVP convened an extraordinary meeting of the FAC to discuss Ukraine following the shelling of Mariupol on 24 January and the intensifying violence in Eastern Ukraine. The FAC condemned the recent escalation of fighting and reiterated the urgent need for all parties to fully assume their responsibility and to ensure the full implementation of the Minsk agreements, which remain the basis for a sustainable political solution to the crisis.I underlined the scale of the tragedy at Mariupol, the largest loss of civilian life during the crisis bar MH17. I emphasised that diplomatic efforts must continue and that Russia had sought to change facts on the ground. The EU must respond to deter further escalation.The FAC agreed to extend until September 2015 the restrictive measures targeting persons and entities for threatening or undermining Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity (adopted in March 2014 and subsequently updated). The HRVP and Commission were tasked to present within a week a proposal on additional listings for decision at the FAC on Monday 9th February. I emphasised that this should include preparing broader economic measures.Minsters asked that further preparatory work be undertaken by the Commission and the EEAS on any appropriate action aimed at ensuring a swift and comprehensive implementation of the Minsk agreements. In addition, the FAC tasked the HRVP, in cooperation with Member States and EU Institutions, to further improve strategic communication in support of EU policies and to explore options for the establishment of a dedicated communications team to lead these actions.


This statement has also been made in the House of Commons: 
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Department for Communities and Local Government

Promoting the sharing economy in London

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: My hon Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning (Brandon Lewis) has amde the following Written Ministerial Statement.  I would like to provide the House with further details of the Coalition Government’s intentions for the reform of legislation on short-term letting of residential accommodation in London, through Clause 33 of the Deregulation Bill.   The Greater London Council (General Powers) Act 1973 provides that the use of residential premises for temporary sleeping accommodation for less than 90 consecutive nights in London is a change of use, for which planning permission is required. London residents face a possible fine of up to £20,000 for each ‘offence’ of failing to secure planning permission.   There are currently thousands of London properties advertised on websites for use as short-term accommodation. However, each is potentially in breach of Section 25 as it stands. The current outdated legislation is inconsistently enforced, leading to confusion and uncertainty for householders, as was apparent during the 2012 Olympics. These laws do not operate outside London, without any visible adverse effect. We want to update these laws to help boost the sharing economy, in light of the popularity of websites like Airbnb and Onefinestay to help people rent out their property for a short-term basis.   My Department has now published a policy document which responds to our Review of Property Conditions in the Private Rented Sector discussion document, and sets out the Government’s approach to modernising this out-dated legislation, so that residents can allow their homes to be used on a short-term basis without unnecessary red tape. The Government has carefully considered the views put forward in response, and in the debates in both Houses, and in bringing forward changes we will also offer safeguards to protect London’s housing supply and residential amenity.   The Government wants to enable London residents to participate in the sharing economy, and enjoy the same freedom and flexibility as the rest of the country to temporarily let their homes, without the disproportionate burden of requiring planning permission. It will provide income to householders who want to rent out their home – for example, if they themselves go on holiday. I believe this will be popular with London residents, as evident by the support for our planning reforms to make it easier for householders to rent out their spare parking spaces. A further benefit will be to increase the amount of competitively priced accommodation available for tourists to rent, promoting economic growth from tourism, as well as reducing the amount of under-used and otherwise empty property in London. These reforms will primarily benefit homeowners; the changes will not affect any existing clauses in tenancy contracts which prohibit sub-letting by tenants.   In order to address the issues raised by the consultation, the Government intends to restrict short-term letting of residential premises to a maximum of 90 days in a calendar year, so that properties cannot be used for short-term letting on a permanent basis throughout the year. In addition, the Government also intends to put in place additional safeguards through regulations. These will include that to benefit from the new flexibility the properties must be liable for council tax (thereby excluding business premises); that the new flexibility can be withdrawn following a successful enforcement action against a statutory nuisance, and that in exceptional circumstances local authorities will be able to request that the Secretary of State agrees to small localised exemptions from the new flexibility, where there is a strong amenity case to do so. These are practical concessions that I hope will illustrate that we have carefully listened to the points made by Parliamentarians in both Houses in recent months.   The policy document (attached) is being published on my Department’s website and has been placed in the Library of the House. 



Short-term lets policy document
(Word Document, 78.27 KB)

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Continuity of supply of essential services to insolvent businesses

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: My hon Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Employment Relations and Consumer Affairs (Jo Swinson) has today made the following statement. Rescuing struggling but viable businesses out of formal insolvency helps save jobs and improves the prospect of creditors recovering some of what they are owed. The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 introduced new powers to help insolvency practitioners secure essential IT and utility supplies to keep a business going whilst it is being rescued. I have today laid an Order to ensure that insolvency practitioners can retain the essential supplies they need to save viable businesses. There will be an impact on suppliers in the IT and utility sectors but I believe that by providing strong safeguards to ensure the supplier can have confidence they will be paid, we will ensure that the benefits of this measure far outweigh the costs. In particular: 1. The supplier will be able to seek a personal guarantee from the insolvency practitioner at any time to give them more certainty that the supplies will be paid for. 2. The supplier will be able to apply to court to terminate their contract on the grounds of ‘hardship’. 3. Guidance will be issued to insolvency practitioners to urge them to make contact with essential suppliers at the earliest possible time following their appointment to discuss their needs in relation to supply, to ensure that undue costs are not incurred. The Government’s aim remains to ensure that a balance is struck between ensuring the rescue of viable businesses against the obligations placed on those suppliers that will be impacted by the Order. The proposed changes will have effect in relation to contracts made after 1 October 2015. The Government consulted on how those new powers should be exercised and whether the safeguards proposed were adequate to ensure that those essential suppliers bound to supply an insolvent business would be paid. A total of 31 responses were received and I am very grateful for the time those respondents took to provide constructive feedback to the consultation. Almost all respondents expressed their support for the aims of the proposals with some suggesting ways to make the safeguards more effective. The draft Order was amended in the light of comments received. A summary of the responses received to the consultation can be found at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/insolvency-service. 


This statement has also been made in the House of Commons: 
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